you do know that the Apollo Eagle landed on the moon using trust control, right? Pretty much a half a century ago?

While it's cool to see the scale of doing this in earth's gravity, it's nothing that crazy from a control systems perspective.

Them boosters were awesome

<iframe width="854" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z_kfM-BmVzQ" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

"I gotta go, that's all there is to it...I'm f***in' goin'"

Island,

I agree with you about the LEM guidance. Mr. Armstrong came within six seconds of buying the cheese! LOL! The LEM computer wasn't fast enough to control the EVA descent reliably.

You've just summarised the entire history of science and engineering, indeed of civilisation.

I LOL'd SmileWavy

What some of you seem to have forgotten is that all the manned missions were built by the lowest bidder, and no where in the RFP did the government request the ability to reuse the rocket boosters.
Hence, no one thought it necessary to build such a system capability into the launchers.

Musk has said many times he was not expecting this rocket to make it into space and was actually expecting a very expensive fireworks show.

So knowing there was a really good chance what you put on the ship was going to be vaporized, how many would be willing to piss away the money to have a payload on there?

I remember working at Rockwell Autonetics in Anaheim, Ca. back in the 80's. The program was called NAVSTAR. This was the early Global Positioning Satellite system.

These Space X rocket boosters probably return in a trajectory like a (PGM) Precision Guided Munition using GPS. controlled by small control surfaces and then during the deceleration burn, controlled by thrust vector actuators. Very impressive.

Still a macro jump in technology IMO

Art is a synthesis of what came before. New applications of old ideas.

This rocket thing, with as much thrust as a Saturn V, this Falcon Heavy is a beautiful thing.

That rig sure did seem to accelerate quickly off the pad! Much quicker than the old Satern Vs. that launched the shuttles. Either more powerful, or most likely way lighter overall weight.

Yep the returning boosters are awesome . I did hear that the main booster ran out of fuel on its return run to its landing barg at sea. I think some outfit had been practiceing those landings on barges at sea, for some time.

Great technology for sure. To have the boosters being reusable.

I've also heard that it was not planned to go into orbit, rather head on out into space away from earth. I had not thought that they intended to separate the payload from the cargo bay?
Are those car in space shots supposed to be real?

Cheers Richard

Bob - I don't think the boosters have any control surfaces on them. They do it all with small thrusters.

Richard - SpaceX has been doing the sea landings for a couple of years now. Not all successful that is for sure.
The 'payload' wasn't separated from the second stage booster in the shots of the car from space. It has since been fired and sent the car off to orbit Mars.
And yes, those car in space shots are/were real.

I'm not sure if I'm following you Scott. Were the car in space shots taken within the cargo bay with the doors open? Then the capsule with the car still inside powered on towards mars? Hard to separate the car and then send it on towards Mars. I guess it could have been on an extended arm.

Quite the attention grabbing move to have the car as the payload.
I'm not sure that they were confident enough about the reliability to take on the expensive cargo of scientific Packages in this first shot.

Neat to see America as a player in space developments again.

Cheers Richard

It's actually sitting on top (big FH logo) of the booster (little FH logo) that will power it to Mars. Once the rocket was outside of our atmosphere the capsule halves separated and fell away to expose the car:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1518044815.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1518044964.jpg

I see the cons are slowing coming around to see what a genius this guy is running umpteen companies. Even thou half of me hates him for trying to get rid of millions of jobs.

And send them to Mars! XD)

Its hard to believe those boosters landing are real and my dentist still uses Xray technology from 40 years ago that never has advanced even once.

Your dentist is out of touch Khal.

Check this out guys, I think you'll like it.
Get your headphones ready....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImoQqNyRL8Y

I'm probably one of his biggest fans here on PPOT. I see a guy who stands apart from the rest of humanity. Someone who is unencumbered by normal human constraints, and is reinventing whole industries almost on a whim. I just feel lucky to be alive at the same time to witness what he does. And, I imagine he has plenty more surprises up his sleeve that we will see in due course.

Where's my damn Like button?

I would disagree with regards to cars, but give him credit for being a marketing genius. But for space, absolutely agree.